EU favours dialogue with Iran

A year after the failure of international talks over Iran's nuclear capacity, “the EU wants to negotiate with Iran,” says German daily Die Welt. The Berlin-based paper says that Catherine Ashton, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, made the offer of talks in the name of the 5+ (Germany, France, United Kingdom, China, Russia and the United States). Noting the differences between the US and Israel over how to deal with Iran – Barack Obama favours diplomacy over the possible air strikes mentioned by Benjamin Netanyahu – the paper then says, “Thank you, Israel” -

We must face the facts. If Europe is sending Catherine Ashton, who is as eloquent as she is powerless, on reconnaissance to Teheran; if Barack Obama has, for the past few months, responded more strongly to the Israeli challenge, it is only due to the fact that the Israelis are flexing their muscles and pretending that nothing can hold them back. Had [Israel] been as cautious as most states, Teheran would have been more likely to have quick access to the bomb. [...] In case of an emergency, it is the West that will, single-handedly, take the nuclear weapons from the hands of Iran's leaders.